Maternity

On Mothers’ Day we thought it useful to reflect on what it means to be a new mother in the work place. The age at which women choose to become a mother for the first time is now over 30. With more than a third of all babies born in 2013-14 being born to women aged 30-34. The Office of National Statistics show that the number of conceptions in the UK to women aged 35 – 39 has increased to 64 per 1000 women. More than 26% of babies are now born by Caesarean Section. Potentially impacting on a woman’s plans for her return to work. Spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), Dr Patrick O’Brien, says. ‘The growing trend of women delaying becoming a mother until their late thirties or early forties is, we believe, an inevitable one. Because of the increasing equality in the social, professional, financial and corporate environment that we live in”. The RCOG warn that ‘it is increasingly difficult to fall pregnant, and the chance of miscarriage rises’. Employers have a responsibility to undertake risk assessments of pregnant workers. Evidence would suggest that where an older worker is pregnant, a risk assessment needs […]